OK, finally...after looking for stem disease, not leaf disease, as was manifested, it's alternaria canker....

Carolyn, you might find that of interest since it's such a common allergen.

No, not just a common allergen.

There are many subspecies of Alternaria alternata, and one is A. alternata ssp lycopersici which causes Alternaria Stem Canker only on tomatoes, as the ssp name implies, and that's found primarily in CA.

But there is an A. alternata which causes a disease of tobacco, which might be of "amusing" interest to you.

I don't know what the ssp name is, but there you go.

The common saprophytic Alternaria we all know would not be causing disease of tomatoes.

I don't know what the symptoms of this disease is in tobacco and you might want to do some GOogling and then bring it up and tell then someone asked you to. LOL

Link below to A. alternata and tobacco disease.

Since A. alternata can be in the air all the time ask them what the evidence is that it's nothing more than a common saprophytic contaminant. Be prepared to talk the ssp lycopersici and ask if they do ssp ID but it would be very rare indeed to have one plant have Alternaria Stem Canker and yet, not knowing the ssp name for the Alternaria that causes disease in tobacco, I don't want to go further.

But you can. LOL

Carolyn

Here is a link that might be useful: Google Search; Alternaria and Tobacco

as was manifested, it's alternaria canker....

How do you know that unless they did ssp testing as I just posted, and the symptoms of Alternaria Stem Canker are not thise that you presented to us here.

And then there's the connection with tobacco I jsut mentioned to you.

C

Guess I don't know that, LOL

Ok, did a quick read on your google....I had come up with that and dismissed, since the symptoms showed up on UPPER, new leaves.

Now...I AM seeing what I thought was a devient 'early blight'. Similar to A. solani, but more 'merging' of spots, and so I was seeing larger browning areas.....I worried about Late Blight, but that didn't match, obviously, since I still have mostly healthy plants....

Interstingly, the extension sent me a flyer on A. solari, and states it can be seed borne....hmmmm....

I'll do more research on A. alternata...

::sigh::

Thanks a lot for you info and link!!!!

Tree

don't mean to post when i am not discussing the disease but wanted to let carolyn know that in her post to catntree 8/3 at 17:31 the word "tomatoes" is green and double underlined and when curser is over it an advertisement pops up. also in catntrees post of 8/3 at 18:25 the word "plants" is in green and double underlined and again when the curser is over it it is an advertisement. i saw in another post that carolyn was asking if anyone else saw the same thing happening. i did but did not respond..when i saw it in here i thought i should respond...again sorry this post is not about the tomatoe problem!

again sorry this post is not about the tomatoe problem!

No problem, it started it yesterday and it's ads tagged to selected words and it's done by GW and I and others are nOT happy.

Please see the thread in the main tomato forum as well as several in the Suggestions Forum.

Carolyn

I don't see that underlining at all...hmmmm

Well, the extension man disposed of the leaves i sent with no test for viruses. I sent my plant to the landfill, so I'll not know which virus unless another plant comes down with it......now what?